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By Juliette Schofield and Charlene Lin
What’s happening: With the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran collapsing, pro-Iran social media accounts have been sharing video footage supposedly showing Iranian military conquests. In fact, the footage is either outdated or was created with AI.
Context: On July 10, President Donald Trump declared the three-week ceasefire “over,” citing Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The following days brought a new wave of U.S. military strikes and Iranian attacks on U.S. military facilities across the Gulf, including in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait.
A closer look: Amid the mounting hostilities, pro-Iran social media users are posting outdated and AI-generated footage of purported Iranian military feats, in an apparent effort to portray the strength of the Iranian military and dampen Western support for the war. NewsGuard did not find instances of the footage being published in Iranian state media, suggesting it was aimed at an international audience.
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Gas strike? On July 11, pro-Iran users shared a video of smoke billowing from a large structure that they claimed showed a July 2026 Iranian strike on part of Israel’s natural gas infrastructure.
Anti-Israel X user...
Welcome to Reality Check, NewsGuard’s nonpartisan newsletter that tracks the false claims and conspiracy theories that shape our world — and who’s behind them. Please support us by becoming a premi...